The Last Song of the ʻŌʻō
In 1975, a scientist recorded the song of a Hawaiian bird, singing the male's part of a duet. No female answered. His kind was nearly gone.
What was reported
The Kauaʻi ʻōʻō was a black honeyeater found only on the island of Kauaʻi, with a flute-like song. Its feathers were once used in Hawaiian royal cloaks. By the 1970s, it survived only in the misty Alakaʻi Swamp, high in the mountains.
A recording made there in 1975 captures a male singing the male's part of a duet, then pausing to leave room for a female to reply. No reply came. The last one was heard in 1987, and in 2023 the species was declared extinct.
Explanations offered
It was lost to habitat destruction, introduced predators, and mosquito-borne bird malaria. The recording has become a symbol of extinction around the world.
- When
- Last heard in 1987
- Where
- Alakaʻi Swamp, Kauaʻi, Hawaii, USA
- Witnesses
- Ornithologists in the Alakaʻi Swamp
- Status
- Extinct
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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